Ranked-choice voting will be used in U.S. Senate race in Maine
Residents fill out their Maine primary ballots while voting in Belfast in June. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press)
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Ranked-choice voting will be used in the U.S. Senate race featuring incumbent Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.
That’s because a half-dozen write-in candidates have formally declared in the race, according to a list from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. The deadline for candidates to declare as write-ins in state races was Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The declared write-ins in the Senate race are: Brent Andrews, of York; Sigrid Ann Olson, of Cape Elizabeth; Gina Oswald, of Strong; Joseph Steinberger, of Rockland; Michael Turcotte, of Burnham; and Ashley J. Webb, of Farmington.
As a result of their candidacies, voters will get ranked-choice ballots in the U.S. Senate race, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said at a Tuesday afternoon event with reporters.
Voters will be able to rank three choices: Collins, Jackson and one write-in whose name can be written in on a blank line. The names of the write-ins will not be on ballots, but a list of write-ins is posted at polling places and also available on the secretary of state’s website.
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The release of the write-in list adds another layer to the dynamics at play in the Senate race, which is one of the most closely watched and competitive U.S. Senate races in the country.
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It also ends speculation that former Democratic candidate Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race in July, might try and mount a write-in candidacy, as some supporters had been encouraging him to do. Platner was accused by an ex-girlfriend of rape — an allegation he denied but that still led him to drop out after key backers withdrew their support.
If a voter writes in the name of someone, such as Platner, who isn’t a declared write-in candidate, their selection is recorded as a blank, the secretary of state’s office confirmed Tuesday. A declared write-in is a candidate who formally submitted paperwork to the state prior to Tuesday’s deadline indicating that they wish to run as a candidate.
If the race proceeds to a ranked-choice voting tabulation, a voter’s second choice, if they made one, would come in to play. A race goes to ranked-choice tabulation only if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on Election Day.
Although it’s rare for write-in candidates to secure significant vote tallies, it’s not unprecedented for a Maine election to be decided via ranked-choice due to a write-in candidate on the ballot.
In 2024, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden was narrowly reelected following an unusual ranked-choice run-off featuring a write-in candidate. Golden won after 420 votes for write-in candidate Diana Merenda and some 12,600 ballots that were either blank or listed an undeclared write-in were redistributed based on voters’ second choices.
Ranked-choice voting was used because Merenda had formally declared as a write-in, even though most of the ballots that ended up coming into play were actually blank or for undeclared write-ins on the first-round.
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Several other state races will also feature write-in candidates on Nov. 3. In the governor’s race, declared write-ins are John Glowa, of China, and Randy Wilcox, of Presque Isle.
In the 2nd Congressional District, Gregory A. Ward, of Limestone, is running as a write-in.
That means the 2nd District race, which features former Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Matt Dunlap, the state auditor, will also use a ranked-choice ballot.
Under state law, ranked-choice voting is used only in federal races and state primaries, and cannot be used in the November election for governor.
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Rachel covers state government and politics for the Portland Press Herald. It’s her third beat at the paper after stints covering City Hall and education. Prior to her arrival at the Press Herald in. More by Rachel Ohm
